St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-10-27
Glre GaIedunia1r.
SMART CHILDREN.
American OuIfiratOr.

There are so many smart children
wadays, that parents do not like to
nix their children are below the
&ferage, and to them a child that is
90 clever, or smart, which is the usual
#Hithet applied to most little ones, is
81 little account in their estimation.
bart children are in great demand.
4 hey are placed on exhibition on every
3ossible occasion, and their sayings
Il doings are repeated to visitors for
.eir amusement, aud to the children's
light. The little ones are close OBJ
vers and also very correct imitatOrs,
ii like to be thought bright and elev-
ID They will initiate the manners
III sayings of older people to the life.
& pme parents like to have their child
n do so, and frequently the little ones
Re requested, VIXEN there are visitors
H the house, to show them how Mrs.
or Uncle So and So does this or
ID. The parents are congratulated
ION the children's cleverness. "They
"a so cunning they say I; cunning
%Iey may appear for the time being,
4ot what is cunning and cute when the
9ttle ones are very small, will, when
#sey are larger grown, if not checked
fore, most assuredly be impudeuce.
|1rents of such children wonder, after
@le little ones have OutgrOwn their
ldish cuteness, why it is that they
2nlly appear impudent. They have
zen so accustomed to being praised
hd admired for these same dOings and
Ayings when very little, they cannot
Understand why at a later age they
S,nst be called impertinent: 1t is not
fange that they cannot understand
Hle difference between impudence aud
Iteness, for many of the parents do
/ot appear to recognize it. They will
ugh ut bright expression from a
Did, which if uttered by an older
zersOn would be anything but laugh
"a matter. 1t is too bad that they
30 uld SD far forget themselves as to
courage by look or action anything
b child when young for which they
zso WIN older. They are unjust to them
ives and the little one.
~ The mothers face is the child's
irror," and very early the little one
arns to look in this for appreciation
s its every word and action. From
us mirror does the child learn, long
fore it can speak, its first lesson of
lit and wrong. In the mothers
1hs it lies just beginning to notice
b d fit of petulance the little hand is
lsed to strike; reproving look
ines over the mothers face the tiny
znd falls without striking the little
<ehd nestles closer, and into the baby
les comes a grave and thoughtful ex
sssiOn. Baby has received it's first
son and is reasoning as only babies
ID. Little 10y little other lessons are
&arned i'll the same way, until to the
Id the mothers face is the criterion
81 its every word and action. If moth
- would more fully realize this truth,
@Iey would hesitate and think many
mes, ere by laugh or sign of any kind
0Iey encouraged the children in the
@hnging out of trait for which they
BOW full well they will have to repri-
Der years. Does the qualification of
Earring a child called smart or cunning
<iBtify the mother when it has grown
.tler i'll furnishing it for her negli
5encef Certainly not. There is no
istificatiOn for her. No mother, no
Halter what her station, can afford,
imply for the mere qualification of her
.wn personal vanity, or the entertain
bent of her friends or visitors, to be
Unjust to herself and child. "Oh,"
llany mothers carelessly say, "they
! jill grow out of it in a little while
hey don't know any better now time
zhOugh to break them of it when they
ne older" 1t never occurs to these
#Omen that what they condemn as bad
<hbits they themselves are responsible
pr, by their encouragement, planting
|hd fostering i'll the children's minds
Pc convictions that these same habits
fere something to be admired and
raised 10y every one.
4 Habits are not easy things to drop
yen by grown people. Few people
Pm successfully drop II habit formed
br any length of time. Even though
hey know it is for their good, most
&eOple find it very hard work and ex-
'eedingly disagreeable to give up some
be custom or habit to which they
ave been addicted. If it is 50 hard
I'D trying to grown people, what
lust it be for the little OnesR They
Ave been accustomed to- think the
>bssessiOn of these habits were accom-
ishments, and they are told they are
frOng and must give them up. This
bust be very confusing to their minds,
.nd it is not to be wondered if, in the at
kmpt at reconstruction, their ideas OF
'lght and wrong get wofully mixed.
#ery often the parents neglect to alter
3Abits at all, and the children grow up
.npudent and impertinent, although
znOrantly SO.
lmpudent children are not liked by
They are very disaS reeable
for children or older peO-
De. The latter may pity them, and i'll
heir own hearts, accuse the parents of
.1eglect, but this is of little advantage
% the children, and the little ones
row up disliked and avoided, where,
BIT for the parents negligence, they
night have had a happy, joyous child
food.
Il